the Proclaim & Defend Podcast

The National Catholic Register ran an article this week entitled The Marriage Crisis is No Longer Just a Western Problem. The article articulates the trends worldwide away from traditional (and biblical) marriage. This quote seems to sum it up. Julie Hanlon Rubio, a Santa Clara University theologian serving as an expert at the gathering, told the assembly on Oct. 12 that “the global trend away from marriage is accelerating,” citing declining marriage rates in the Philippines, Poland, Argentina and South Africa When marriage declines, birthrates decline. It’s inevitable. We can make a “chicken or the egg” argument about which comes first, but the coincidental nature of the stats is unmistakable. The decline of marriage and the family as a result is the way humanity commits suicide. While human beings have been preoccupied with nuclear war, global warming, and a myriad of real and perceived health concerns, we seem to be ignoring the most basic aspect of human thriving and survival—reproduction of the human race in a happy and healthy family environment. Abortion, same-sex unions, divorce, promiscuity, and more have all led here. Now, I do believe humans will survive because Bible prophecy tells us how it will all end. But that does not mean that the present crisis is not real. Social media is filled with both men and women complaining about what is happening. Women (at least some) complain that men are not pursuing women any more while men openly declare that the devastation of potential divorce—financial, loss of children, and more—makes marriage no longer worth the risk. … Read the rest of the article here, or just listen to the podcast. Get full access to the Proclaim & Defend Podcast at proclaimdefend.substack.com/subscribe

I’m basking in the “afterglow” of our Annual National Meeting held last week at Faith Baptist Church in Taylors, SC. The FBFI got its start in 1920 as a pre-convention meeting as a subset of the old National Baptist Convention. ((See here to find the last message of that meeting along with an index to the rest.)) Over the years the Fellowship changed in response to the changing ecclesiastical landscape of North America. We had several name changes along the way reflecting those changes. In the early days, the reasons for gathering centered on concern over rising liberalism in the NBC. Many years of controversy called men to gather in response or to provide encouragement and direction to fellow pastors beset by changing times. These days, with most of us pretty well settled in our positions, little controversy drives attendance at our meetings. Rather, our emphasis now is on shared ministry philosophy and fellowship. When I was a “tent-making” pastor, I was in the business world. For a time, one of the buzz-words of business was “networking.” Whether that’s a current term or not, networking makes up a lot of what we do. Various ministries are represented by exhibitors, among our speakers, and in the attendees at our meeting. From mission boards to ancillary church services to Christian colleges and universities to many local churches — all kinds of leaders from various organizations gather together. It really is an amazing time to connect and re-connect with old friends and fellow workers in the ministry. The preaching and workshops were good, but that’s not the most important thing about the meeting. The most important thing (in my opinion) is that opportunity to meet new and old friends, catch up on their ministries, and learn about things to pray for among our many like-minded friends. You should plan to attend the annual fellowship meeting next October 12-14 at Maranatha Baptist University in Watertown, WI. Mark your calendars and make your plans. You will come away refreshed. In the meantime, through the year we have regional fellowships meeting, including two coming up later this month: October 24 the New England brethren will meet in Dover, NH; October 26-27, the Central Region brothers will meet in Yukon, OK. Check here: Fellowships - Foundations Baptist Fellowship International for other regional fellowships through the year. These meetings provide the fellowship we find at the National meeting but on a smaller scale. They are well worth attending. One of the great verses on the strength of fellowship is Ecclesiastes 4:12: And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken. We need the encouragement we can provide one another. We could go on, but we will give you a little flavor of this years meeting with links to the main sessions below: * The Church Recovered in the Word - Dr. Craig Hartman * The Church Recovered in Its Shepherds - Dr. Bruce McAlister * The Church Recoverd in Its Courage - Lt. Col. Nathan Mestler * The Church Recovered in Its Loyalty to Christ Alone - Pastor Caleb Phelps * The Recovered in Its Mission - Dr. Patrick Odle * The Church Recovered in Its Order - Dr. Kevin Bauder * FBFI 2026 Annual Fellowship - Panel Discussion * The Church Recovered in the Home - Dr. Mark Herbster Stay tuned for the audio from the workshops, we will make links available in a future post. We are hoping to post the audio of all sessions as a series of podcasts on the P&D podcast platform as well. May the Lord bless you in your place of ministry. We hope to see you next year. Get full access to the Proclaim & Defend Podcast at proclaimdefend.substack.com/subscribe

We continue to discuss our September/October edition of FrontLine, on the topic “Getting Ready to Vote.” Today’s guest is Michael Riley, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Wakefield, Michigan. He is a regular in FrontLine and on our podcast. His article this time is called, “Can We Vote for the Lesser Evil?” In a day when we increasingly see candidates whose personal character and/or political viewpoints just don’t match our own, we have to wrestle with voting decisions. Should we vote for one of the major candidates who matches our viewpoint more closely than the other major candidate, despite serious disagreements with the “lesser evil” guy’s platform? That is the question. There are times when we might choose to vote for a candidate who has no hope of winning, one outside the leading candidates. We might want to send a message to the group we normally would support, and that is simply, Do Better! On the other hand, we might have to make a decision based on the most important political issues of our day. If we have a flawed major candidate who nevertheless is right on most of those issues, or enough of those issues, then we may choose to vote for him or her. These decisions are difficult, and Michael helps us think through the issues both in his article and our conversation. Before we get into the discussion, let me remind you that Michael’s article is available on our Substack right away for paying subscribers. We have previews for everyone else. I hope you will join with us and support the ministry of the FBFI by becoming a paying subscriber. The Article: Can We Vote for the Lesser Evil? The Contents & Editorial for the July/August FrontLine: Getting Ready to Vote | FRONTLINE - Proclaim & Defend Get full access to the Proclaim & Defend Podcast at proclaimdefend.substack.com/subscribe

This seems like such a 21st century topic. It sounds like I am joining the modern legions who are preoccupied with and find comfort in discussions about their mental health. But the springboard for this discussion comes from a text written 150 years ago. It was a recognized problem them, and it still is today—maybe even more so. Every preacher should go back and read Charles Haddon Spurgeon’s Lectures to My Students. Too often students preparing for ministry read it in college or seminary and then fail to pick it up again. After a decade in ministry (or more) it strikes a more familiar chord than for seminary students. In this article, I am focusing on chapter eleven—“The Minister’s Fainting Fits.” Discouragement is common among those in ministry. Here is how Spurgeon so eloquently admits that he struggled with what we would today call depression. … Read the rest of the article here, or just listen to the podcast. Get full access to the Proclaim & Defend Podcast at proclaimdefend.substack.com/subscribe

We are discussing the September/October edition of FrontLine called, “Getting Ready to Vote.” Of course, we are writing in light of the upcoming elections in the USA and, as it happens, we are having elections here in the province where I live as well, so our topics seem very timely to me. Today’s conversation is with Ryan Martin, pastor of Columbiaville Baptist Church of Columbiaville, Michigan. Ryan is a long-time online friend so I enjoy talking to him on the podcast. He is writing this time on “Welfare, Collectivism, and the Christian Vote.” What he is doing in the article and in our interview is to help us think about this issue and how to look at candidates for office. How closely do our candidates reflect Christian thinking on this issue? We will likely not find candidates who fully embrace the Bible model for caring for the needy, but the more we understand about the Bible point of view, the better we can analyze those who want our vote. I hope you find the conversation helpful. Before we get into the discussion, let me remind you that Ryan’s article is available on our Substack right away for paying subscribers. We have previews for everyone else. I hope you will join with us and support the ministry of the FBFI by becoming a paying subscriber. The Article: Welfare, Collectivism, and the Christian Vote The Contents & Editorial for the July/August FrontLine: Getting Ready to Vote | FRONTLINE - Proclaim & Defend Get full access to the Proclaim & Defend Podcast at proclaimdefend.substack.com/subscribe